Denmark & Norway: Hitler's Boldest Operation

Denmark & Norway 1940: Hitler's Boldest Operation
Publisher: Osprey Publishing
Ref.#. 9781846031175
Scale: N/A
Campaign 183
Author Doug Dildy
Price: £13.99

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A Historical Background

On 9 April 1940, Germany invaded Denmark and Norway. The primary reason for the invasion was Germany was dependent on Swedish Iron Ore that was shipped from the Norwegian port of Narvik. By securing access to Norwegian ports, Germany could retain a holdfast position on the iron ore supply it needed for its war production in spite of the British naval blockade of Germany. To add to that, it allowed both Germany and its Allied forces to confront each other without large-scale trench warfare which both sides tried to avoid. Something that was particularly importance as the Battle of the Atlantic escalated, Norwegian airbases, allowed German reconnaissance aircraft to operate far out over the North Atlantic, without having to fly over, or near to, Britain which was something they wanted to avoid.

Norway, though neutral country, was considered strategically important for both sides of the war. The first reason was the importance of the port of Narvik, which had large quantities of Swedish iron ore, which Germany depended on. The route was especially important during the winter months when the Baltic Sea was frozen over. Narvik became a greater significance to Britain when it became apparent that Project Catherine, a plan to gain control of the Baltic Sea, would not be practical in this campaign. The second reason was the ports in Norway could serve as an opening in the blockade for Germany, thus, allowing access to the Atlantic Ocean.

Though Germany won the conflict, the Norwegian invasion tied down most of the German navy and several land divisions.

Contents

This book describes the events of the tumultuous campaign that not only led to Winston Churchill's appointment as British Prime Minister, but also saw the crippling of the German Kriegsmarine as a fighting force, as it was reduced to a fleet of submarines and a handful of warships. In this book there is a two-page chronological write up of the campaign process that led to the invasion of Norway which Started September 1, 1939 & end July 28 1940. The book is very detailed explaining many of the events that led up to the invasion. There are some very good illustrations done by John White, who is a commercial illustrator. The illustration shows events depicting scenarios that took part in the campaign. *Along with the illustrations are detailed maps with descriptive legends pointing out strategic movements & routes that the German Kriegsmarine used to infiltrate Norway. I consider these maps key points to modelers who like doing big dioramas based on major historical facts. Whether you're doing museum quality craftsmanship or just a personal satisfaction, the information in this book will outline the most important event that led to this campaign. To add to the mix are some B&W photos of ships, planes, tanks and the men that were responsible for the campaign. Good to see the men that were responsible for such actions. I always thought you could always tell by looking a face the type of character an individual possessed. I consider this book to be a sort of lay map of strategic key points that made the campaign a success.

Excerpt:

“...this assault, operation Weserübung, represented the first joint air-land-and-sea campaign in the history of warfare. As such, it was the only campaign planned by the Wehrmacht high command to use all three services of the Wehrmacht...”

Reading this excerpt tells you what you are in for when you start to read this book. For those of you who are into the strategic aspect then this book is your game ball park. Much information surrounding, this turmoil point in history, will get your intellectual wits running on mid-level octane. In some way you get to feel the personal aspirations of the men that went through this campaign to achieve their objective. War is a terrible thing but freedom comes at a cost to those who are willing to fight for it.

Contents

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Conclusion

If you're modeler that is into the historical aspect of WWII then you can do no wrong buy buying this book. Of course there are even more in-depth books that go really deep into the events by scrutinizing every little aspect of every event that took place individually. I would consider just a book to be a little way overboard from a modeler stand point. This book should suffice and gave a central analytical view of those events without being overly boring. Whether you're modeling a particular scene representing a point in this historical event or just love brushing your wits with historical facts, this book will give you the details of what aspired during that particular time in history that was to become Hitler's Boldest Operation.

For full information on all Osprey Publishing titles, please see their website: Osprey Publishing